Originating from Pizzo in Calabria, this tartufo di Pizzo recipe is one of chef Francesco Mazzei's favourite dishes from the region. Unwrapping the paper exterior reveals a chocolate ice cream bombe with a hidden centre of hazelnut ice cream, sugared hazelnuts and thick chocolate sauce. The cocoa-dusted dome resembles a tartufo (black truffle), and was supposedly created in Pizzo in the 1950s to solve a dessert crisis at an important feast. While this dish requires several hours of chilling and freezing, all the elements can be made well in advance which makes this a perfect dinner party dessert.

Begin by making the chocolate ice cream. Mix together the milk, milk powder and sugar in a pan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer, whisking regularly to prevent the mixture from sticking

500ml of whole milk

25g of milk powder, skimmed

125g of caster sugar

2

Once simmering, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dark chocolate until melted and fully combined. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any lumps, pouring into a plastic container

200g of dark chocolate

3

Chill for a few hours, then remove from the freezer and churn in an ice cream machine as per the manufacturer's instructions. Return to the freezer and chill until required

4

Repeat for the hazelnut ice cream, bringing the milk, milk powder and sugar to a simmer and adding the hazelnut paste. Blitz with an electric hand blender to combine, then pass through a sieve, chill and churn. Keep in the freezer until required

500ml of whole milk

25g of milk powder, skimmed

125g of caster sugar

65g of hazelnut paste

5

To make the chocolate sauce, place the double cream, sugar and water in a pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cocoa powder, mixing until smooth

90g of double cream

80g of caster sugar

85g of water

30g of cocoa powder

6

Bring the mixture back up to the boil, whisking continuously. Once bubbling, remove from the heat and stir in the dark chocolate until melted and fully combined. Set aside to cool, then chill until ready to assemble

Next prepare the sugared hazelnuts. Spread the hazelnuts out across 1 of the baking trays and gently toast in the oven for a few minutes until golden brown and fragrant – be careful as the nuts can burn very quickly

50g of hazelnuts

9

Meanwhile, place the water in a small pan over a high heat. Add the sugar and, without stirring, allow the mixture to come up to 140°C on a sugar thermometer

25g of water

50g of sugar

10

Once at this temperature, add the hazelnuts straight from the oven and mix quickly over the heat until the sugar becomes dry and powdery. Remove the pan from the heat and tip the nuts out across the other, clean baking tray to cool

11

Before assembling the tartufo, remove the ice creams from the freezer and allow to soften slightly. Line 8 ramekins with a large square of parchment paper, making sure there is plenty of overhang – scrunching up the paper first can help to give a snug fit

12

Scoop a large spoonful of the chocolate ice cream into the base of each ramekin and use the back of the spoon to form a well in the centre

13

Fill the wells with 2 or 3 of the sugared hazelnuts and 1 teaspoon of the chocolate sauce. Cover with a spoonful of the hazelnut ice cream, pressing down with the spoon to fill all the gaps

14

Finally, cover the hazelnut ice cream with another spoonful of chocolate ice cream, making sure that the fillings are covered completely in the chocolate layer

15

Fold up the overhanging paper to cover the ice cream completely, twisting slightly to hold it in place, and chill in the freezer for at least 2 hours to set

16

To serve, remove the paper parcels from the ramekins and place on serving plates. Unwrap the paper to reveal the ice cream bombe, sprinkling over a liberal dusting of cocoa powder to finish

cocoa powder, for dusting

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